Bar Jasmine from going abroad, HC asks govt

The High Court on Monday directed the government to take steps for barring Jasmine Islam, chairman of the controversial Hall-Mark Group, from going abroad.In response to a petition, the court also issued a rule upon the authorities concerned to explain in seven days why the lower court order that granted bail to Jasmine, also wife of Hall-Mark Group Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud, should not be cancelled.

Judge Md Zahirul Haque of the Senior Special Judge’s Court on February 7 granted bail to Jasmine for one and a half months in 11 corruption cases on condition that Jasmine and the Hall-Group will repay Tk 2,600 crore which the company swindled from Sonali Bank, Ruposhi Bangla branch.
Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukdar information The Daily Star on Monday that Jasmine has been released from jail recently following the lower court’s bail order.
The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Mahmudul Haque also directed Judge Zahirul Haque to send all the documents of the corruption cases against Jasmine to the HC by February 14.
The bench passed the order following the petition filed by Nazim Ahmed, editor of the weekly ‘Saptaporno’ on Sunday seeking HC order for cancelling bail of Jasmine.
In the petition, Nazim said it is not believable that Jasmine and her company will repay the money that swindled from the Sonali Bank.
It should be examined why the lower court has granted the bail to Jasmine, he said.
The deputy commissioner of Dhaka, Judge Zahirul Haque, the Sonali Bank managing director, Anti-Corruption Commission and Jasmine have been made respondents to the HC rule.